


Just One Night?

by YellowPencils



Category: Doctors (TV)
Genre: F/M, S17E31
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2016-12-12
Packaged: 2018-09-08 04:09:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8829949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YellowPencils/pseuds/YellowPencils
Summary: Al agrees to Niamh's suggestion of making use of the free hotel room...An alternative to the end of S17E31.[I've finally got around to writing this fic, apologies for it being such a ridiculously long time since the episode was on. I hope I've got the episode number right, feel free to correct me if not!]





	

Al had hesitated for less than a second before the shock of her words passed and he stood, reaching a hand out to help her up, neither of them letting go as they headed down the hallway to the now-available room.  
Once inside, they let the door slam closed behind them, not even making it to the bed before they were tightly entwined, kissing passionately, their arms running over each other's body.

There was a thump as they walked into the bed, pulling away from each other just long enough to climb onto the bed, laughing as they made sure neither of them had sustained an injury from the hard bedframe.  
Niamh pushed Al down firmly, then climbed on top of him, giggling at her own clumsiness as she nearly rolled straight back off him and had to grab his jacket tightly to steady herself.

"Careful!" he placed his arms around her back, holding her to him closely, smiling at the familiar feeling.

Niamh responded by kissing him deeply, enjoying the way his arms were running up and down her back, brushing against the top of her backside, making her press even closer against him.

As the kiss became even more passionate, Niamh pushed her hands underneath Al's jacket and somehow managed to manoever it off his shoulders and throw it to the floor, while one of his own hands became entwined in her hair and the other ventured further down the back of her dress.

Niamh placed a row of small kisses along Al's jaw and her hands went to the knot of his tie. She made quick work of unfastening the tie, throwing it down to join his jacket on the floor next to the bed. Al ran his hands slowly up her back to the top of the zip on the back of the dress and pulled at it, fruitlessly.

"What's the matter?" she asked, moving on to kiss his neck.

"Stuck," he murmured in concentration as he focussed on unfastening the reluctant zip, "Bloody thing!"

Niamh laughed, then sighed happily into his neck as the zip finally gave in, allowing Al's hands to venture underneath the fabric, enjoying the feeling of his hands on the bare skin of her back.

Niamh pulled back slightly so she had access to the buttons on his shirt, making fast work of opening them before pushing the garment open and leaning down and kissing her way up his chest and then his throat, enjoying the low moans coming from his mouth.

Al smiled at Niamh as she lifted her head to look directly into his eyes, then their lips met once more in yet another enthusiastic kiss.  
"I'd forgotten what a good kisser you are," she murmured against his lips.

"Really?" he quipped, "I hadn't. I am an _amazing_ kisser, after all."

Niamh giggled and smacked his arm gently, "The sad thing is, I know you aren't really joking. I might be more annoyed if I wasn't enjoying this so much!"

"Oh, come on! You know what a huge fan I am of your kissing too, do you really need me to remind you?" Al asked teasingly.

"It wouldn't hurt. If you don't want me to stop and walk out of here right now, that is."

Without warning, Al flipped her over kissed her again, before pulling back and looking down at her lovingly.

"That's exactly how you used to look at me," she commented flippantly, before moving in for another kiss.

Something had changed, however.

Al kissed her back for a few moments, but less enthusiastically than before. She could feel his sudden reluctance and pulled away, seeing the serious look that had appeared on his face.

Niamh frowned.

"What's wrong?" she asked, "Do you not want to do this?"

"Niamh..." he sighed, rolling off her and lying next to her.

She rolled onto her side so she was facing him and placed a hand on his side.

"It's okay if you don't," she said gently.

"Of course it's not that," Al said, reaching up to place a strand of hair behind her ear, "You know it's not that."

"But...?" Niamh prompted him, knowing something was stopping him from continuing.

"If we do this...well, that will be it for us. Won't it?"

"I don't understand," she replied, utterley confused.

"I know I treated you really badly. And I know things didn't end well between us. But we have started to mend that a little bit, haven't we? Become civil, at least...I'm not explaining this very well, am I?"

"It's okay. Just say what you want to. However it comes out."

"I don't know if, at some point in the future, there is any chance of... _us_...again. But I'd really like there to be. I'm not suggesting we do anything about it now. I know we're still...well, I know I still have a lot of bridges to build. But I'd like it to be an option. I still love you, Niamh. And I don't want to risk whatever friendship or relationship we could potentially have in the future by having a one-night stand because we're both feeling a little sentimental and lonely. However much we might want to. _Really_ want to. I know _I_ really want to, anyway."

Niamh didn't speak for so long that Al started to get worried about how she was going to react to his clumsy speech. He could see her contemplating his words, however, and waited for her to respond.

Finally, she sighed, patting his chest gently.  
"You're right. Damn it, Haskey. I hate how often you are right."

He didn't reply, but smiled at her almost apologetically.

"I still love _you,_ Al. That's partly why it's all so messed up. And for the record, I do agree with what you say. I'm still not over what happened between us, but I know that I do want you in my life, on some level. And whatever kind of relationship we end up having, I don't want a quick hook-up in a second-hand hotel room to get in the way of that. However much we both want it. _Which we do_ ," she practically whispered the last three words, smiling teasingly.

Al laughed quietly, and she tapped his arm again, "I swear Haskey, if you don't stop looking so smug, you're not going have any chance of being anything at all to me. Except a cautionary tale to warn my mates off egotistical, yet surprisingly charming, geeky doctors."

"Oh," he replied, "That's not good. If we don't end up back together, I might want to hit on some of your mates."

Predictably, Niamh was about to launch into a rant about how insensitive he was, but recognised the sparkle in his eyes and decided to let him off.

"I'll add 'inappropriate bad jokes' to the list," she said, then sat up and asked him to zip her dress back up.

She readjusted the straps and pulled the skirt back into position while Al got up from the bed and picked his shirt and tie off the floor. As he fastened the buttons on his shirt, Niamh turned to him, holding something she had picked up from the bedside table.

"You know...there are other ways we can enjoy this room," she said, raising an eyebrow.

"There is?" he asked, then grinning as he saw what was in her hand, There _is_."

"Room service!" Niamh thrust one of the menus at him.

"Oh, no, my dear Dr Donaghue," Al replied cheerfully, "It's not technically our room, remember? _Free_ room service!"

They hi-fived each other and sat down on the edge of the bed, already engrossed in the huge list of food available to them.


End file.
